By Hannah Gill, Contributor

The second round of submissions is in and 13th Floor Magazine has begun the editing process.

“We are always trying something new,” Kate Bard, managing editor, said. “We are a budding student art magazine, and we’re just trying to figure everything out as we go.”

The editing process has been changed this year. Instead of one month for editing over a Google Doc open comments forum for editors, Lead Editor Jared Newman has decided to streamline the process. There will be two weeks of editing to select pieces for inclusion and two weeks for copy editing. A minimum of two editors will look at each piece and make recommendations to Newman.

“It was more about having separate opinions and not a debate,” Newman said.

Last year’s process lead to a lot of agreeing and less commentary, Newman shared, and concerns about editors being swayed by other comments before reading the piece, Bard said.

13th Floor Magazine has also decided to create fall and spring issues instead of just one.

“This issue we are working with is a smaller time frame, so we created a production schedule that’s tight and leaves very little room to mess around,” Bard said.

The magazine received 53 total submissions, 26 poems and 27 prose pieces.

“The fact is we got more submission,” Newman said, “I was glad for that because it means we might be gaining momentum.”

They have extended the deadline for art submissions with the hope more will come in. 13th Floor wants to be inclusive of the entire art community at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. For their submissions guidelines, visit the website at 13thfloormagazine.wordpress.com.

The first volume of 13th Floor Magazine distributed 100 copies, 96 of these free copies from the first promotional week. It is still available on Amazon, at 79 Kindle pages, for $4.99, and has three five-stars ratings.

13th Floor Magazine has

another goal this year beyond publication.

“It is a personal goal of mine, and the rest of 13th Floor Magazine’s founding staff, to see this magazine thrive beyond our time and efforts,”

Bard said. “We are working to find people who are as passionate as we are about creating an art community on UNO’s campus and to convince them to join our team.”

As the original staff, including Newman and Bard, graduate, they are looking to fill editing positions and continue the magazine’s legacy.